American treasure and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo patriarch Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson shocked the world earlier this month when he admitted to sexually “experimenting” with other men during his 10-year relationship with Mama June Shannon. In addition to that, Mama June also alleged that he kept pictures of “a black man’s ass” on his phone and enjoyed engaging in sexual trysts in the back of his pickup truck and in seedy motel rooms.

Sugar Bear’s confession was made on WE TV’s Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, a reality TV show about former reality TV stars trying to rebuild their marriages that were destroyed by reality TV fame. But insiders are now saying the whole thing was a ploy for attention.

“It’s all for show,” a source tells RadarOnline. “June is desperate for attention and to stay relevant without their reality series, and she has Sugar Bear along for the ride.”

The source also claims the couple is in dire need of cash and they’re willing to do almost anything for a buck.

“They know that bringing the drama will bring them big bucks,” the source said.

TLC canceled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo in 2014 after rumors began circulating that Mama June had rekindled her relationship with her pedophile ex-boyfriend. Since then, she has been scraping together a living through guest appearances on other highly-regarded shows, including a spot on the talk show The Doctors and a cameo as a “trailer park wife” in Dumb and Dumber To. Up next she’ll appear on E!’s plastic surgery series Botched.